We have a
family dog! His name is Sleepy McJoe and he is a pretty incredible dog. Without
genetic test results in hand, I am making an educated guess that he is a Lab-Chow mix.
That is what I tell people and I always follow it up with “And Chows are
biters.” You see, Sleepy McJoe was an
abused puppy and when we rescued him from the Humane Society, they warned us
that he did not like to be touched around his neck. Sleepy still doesn’t like to be touched
around the neck unless you are just hugging him and saying his name really
sweet-like. Oh, and you are in our
immediate family. That last part is
pretty important, because if you aren’t and you try to hug him, he’ll bite your
face off. That’s really the point I am
trying to make here. Sleepy is a great
dog, but Sleepy will bite your face off if he wants. I am pretty sure everyone in the fam, except ‘Mi Madre’, has a scar or two from Sleepy’s canines.

So, now,
Sleepy is 14 or 15. He’s arthritic and
slower than he used to be. He can still climb on the couch with ease when no
one is around; but he is a lot slower getting off the couch when he gets caught
than he has been in years past. He
pretty much does what he wants when he wants and we just smile at him. For the past 3 years, I have often made the
comment “Well, this is his last ^insert season here^, so we can let him do what
he wants.” Sometimes peeps get upset
that I choose to imply that Sleepy may die soon, forcing me to explain that I
have to prepare myself in this way. It
makes every day we have him with us a special one.

I am not in
any way suggesting that everyone should just start introducing people and pets in
this manner. “Hey, this is my friend, Bobby;
it’s his last winter.” But, I do suggest
that you treat people in your life with the care and devotion that one would
treat am aging pet: Give lots of
affection, Cherish the time you spend with them; Buy them Tempurpedic beds; and
let them sleep on your couch when they are over.